


Cigs & Fists

by RenTheDevil



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, based on a manga
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 13,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27047320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenTheDevil/pseuds/RenTheDevil
Summary: Heejin gets woken up by a nasty scent. She thinks she has a thing or two to say to whoever stinks besides her, but she thought wrong.
Relationships: Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin
Comments: 11
Kudos: 158





	1. Bad Dream, Bad Smell

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Tankobu](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/701494) by Kuwabara. 



> They are 17 and in junior year of high school here.  
> Also, this is my first time posting on here, so, hope I'm doing this right.

Even though she was asleep, she could tell the train was still moving. There was a loud hum filling the silence of the quiet train carriage. She opens her eyes whenever the train comes to a squeaky halt to check if it’s her stop or not. If not, she would go right back to sleep. She needs it. She’s been missing out a lot from constantly pulling all-nighters.

However, today was a bit different.

Jeon Heejin usually keeps to herself, especially during train rides to/from school. She could be seen in the corner of the carriage, sound asleep until she reaches her destination.

Today, there was a scent. A nasty stench that overpowered men’s cologne and women’s perfume wafting in the air of the carriage.

It was nostalgic in a way.

It was senior year of middle school. She and the basketball team had a friendly match with another school’s youth team. The final seconds of the last quarter were ticking and Heejin had the ball in her possession, dribbling around to get through the opposing team’s tight defense, but it was of no use. Just before she got the shot-clock violation whistle, she attempted a three-pointer that only ended up bouncing off the rim.

Heejin was pissed.

Her defender, a cat-eyed girl, appeared unenthusiastic to be there but kept a damn tight defense throughout the entire game. And what pissed Heejin off even more, is when she glared at the girl, her big cat-like eyes became smaller as the girl smiled at her a mischief filled grin.

Heejin wasn’t pissed off anymore.

She was fuming.

Perhaps that was the reason why she ended up using a bit too much energy defending against the same girl and they ended up bumping into each other pretty hard.

Heejin groaned in pain as she busted her lip open. The cat-eyed girl laid under her quietly, hand covering her nose. Their teammates and coaches rushed to their aid. The sound of their rapid footsteps falling on deaf ears as Heejin was too busy staring down at the girl.

Heejin grimaced, not because of the taste of blood filling her mouth, but because of the smell of tobacco overwhelming her senses.

It stinks.

The smell of tobacco.

The sound of the train coming to a stop woke Heejin up. Her body missed the mysterious warmth that left her right side as a person has just gotten up from their seat beside her. Heejin opened her eyes in panic, a bit disoriented from that dream of a memory made 3-years ago.

But it felt like she hadn’t woken up at all. Because her eyes land on the person who just left her side and there they are. Those haunting cat-eyes. “Kim Hyunjin.” She found herself calling.

The girl who was just about to step off the train, paused in her movement, recognizing her own name. She looked back. Her poker face turning to one of confusion as her sharp gaze met Heejin’s.

It was just a short moment that Kim Hyunjin didn’t allow to drag on for too long. A couple of seconds later she stepped off the train, just before the door closed and she’s stuck inside to wait for the next stop.

Heejin is left dumbfounded and embarrassed.

She ignored her.

Of course, she wouldn’t recognize her, they’ve only met once and that was three years ago. There’s no way she would remember Heejin.

But

Heejin started questioning herself with a sense of confusion and another feeling she pushed to the back of her head for now.

Why does she remember who Kim Hyunjin is?

By the time she was off the train and walking the rest of the way to school, the embarrassment faded away and all that’s left was relief.

It’s a good thing Kim Hyunjin didn’t react.

Otherwise, it would be really awkward the next time they meet.

Or so Heejin thought.

7 hours later, after a tiring school day that she napped her way through, she awkwardly sits at the same carriage on the same train she takes every day after school to get home.

From all the people crowding this specific carriage, the person who happened to be standing right in front of her, clenching the dangling safety hoop with a hand and stuffing the other in her pocket, is none other than Kim Hyunjin, staring at her with that same poker face Heejin remembers from 3 years ago and from this morning.

Heejin unconsciously gulps. She averts her eyes from the girl and opts to stare at the shiny blue heel of the office lady sitting beside her. Wishing and hoping that Kim Hyunjin would lose interest in her soon, or better, reach her stop before her.

But no.

Life had other things planned for Jeon Heejin because Kim Hyunjin did not plan on leaving her alone that afternoon.

“You…” her voice comes out very soft and quiet, bringing a tickling sensation to Heejin’s brain as if she were listening to ASMR audio, “…have we met before?”

There it is.

“What?” Heejin snaps, her blood pressure rising by the second. “Dunno.” But then she remembered how she called the girl’s name loud and clear for everybody to hear that same morning, and got even more embarrassed.

Kim Hyunjin smiled that same mischief filled grin that drove Heejin off the rails three years ago which now Heejin realizes, is the towering girl reacting to her with amusement.

“We-…We might have met three years ago at a basketball game,” Heejin admits, meekly. Her voice shook and broke to further up her embarrassment.

“Ahh…you’re the girl who bumped into me and got her mouth bloodied up.” Kim Hyunjin nods, the grin on her face softens up, “But how do you know my name?”

There was a deep frown on Heejin’s face as she snapped again, “I wasn’t the only one bloodied up! You had a bloody nose too!”

Hyunjin pauses for a second, a mysterious little smile on her face, “Yeah, well. I don’t care either way.” Her eyes go up and down as if checking Heejin out, in her school uniform. A checkered/striped navy tie wrapped around the collar of a white button-up and a skirt matching with the tie.

Now, Heejin is not a meek girl. Not at all. In fact, she’s been nicknamed Fire Cracker since way back in middle school because of her low temper. But. Right now. Under the eyes of Kim Hyunjin, as she towers over her due to the unfortunate seating situation, she felt weak. She felt weak and small and she unconsciously closed her legs tightly, her hands pressed together between her thighs.

She could not keep eye-contact with this girl.

Much to Heejin’s relief, their encounter doesn’t last long. The train comes to a soft halt and Kim Hyunjin lets go of the hoop above her to make her way out. But of course, she couldn’t leave without addressing Heejin.

With that same mischievous grin, she leaves Heejin with a cheeky, “See you later, stalker.”

That, of course, sets the firecracker inside of Heejin off, “Yah! Who’re you calling stalker?!”

And that of course, doesn’t reach Kim Hyunjin because the doors have already closed by the time Heejin realized what the girl had said to her. Instead, she was left with seething anger and terrible embarrassment when everyone left in the crowded carriage stared at her quizzically.

Since that day, Heejin saw Hyunjin at the train every day on the way to/back from school.

Even though neither attempted to approach the other, Hyunjin smiled and waved at Heejin every day.

Heejin didn’t return to gesture, but she saw it, and she couldn’t help it but hope for a big hole to open up in the ground and swallow her up every single time Kim Hyunjin acknowledged her.

The reason for that is, some feelings Heejin refuses to confront and opted to block them off, as Jeon Heejin does with most of her feelings.


	2. Smoke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin sleeps past her stop.

The train today is taking awfully long to make a stop, but Heejin didn’t care. She was sound asleep after spending all night working on her webtoon to make a deadline and she deserves some more sleep.

Or so Heejin’s sleep-deprived brain told her.

It wasn’t the loud squeaking of the train coming to a stop that woke Heejin up, but light taps on her cheek. “Hey.” A voice that tickled Heejin’s ears and sent a shiver up her neck and shoulders startled her awake, as soft as it was.

“Hm?” Heejin looks around in confusion, disoriented from how hard she was napping. She looked at the person who just woke her up, and she immediately puts her guard up, making a cross with her arms as if Kim Hyunjin tapping her cheek was the equivalent of molestation.

“End of the line.” Kim Hyunjin states. That same soft mischievous grin plastered all over her face.

“Wh-…for real?!” Heejin stands on her seat with her knees to get a better look outside.

It’s the train station all right.

The very last station at this certain train line. Which means she’s 5 stations past her stop. What a catastrophe. “Why didn’t you wake me up?!” she snapped at Kim Hyunjin, but followed behind her out of the train in panic.

“I slept through my stop too.” Kim Hyunjin admits, sparing Heejin behind her a glance.

For some reason, Heejin finds that hard to believe. Kim Hyunjin does not strike her as the kind of girl who would be as clumsy as to have something like this happen to her. Besides, that grin is telling Heejin that this was all too intentional.

But then again, Jeon Heejin doesn’t know shit about Kim Hyunjin, so who’s she to judge?

Thoughts of throwing Kim Hyunjin and her annoying smile in the nearby riverbank aside, Heejin checks the time on her phone and is struck with frustration and anger when she sees she’s an entire hour late for school. Morning assembly is already over and the first class has just come to an end.

“Ugh” She’s even more frustrated when she realizes she’s gonna have to wait 15 minutes for the train back to arrive and it’s going to be another hour on the way back to her station.

In a split second, she’s yanked away from the station’s timetable and she’s staring at Kim Hyunjin’s back as she drags her out of the station.

“Yah! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?! We’re going to be even more late to school!” Heejin snaps, but for some reason, she didn’t feel the need to resist.

“What does it matter if we’re an hour or two hours late? Late is late.” Again, Kim Hyunjin spares Heejin a glance and forces the shorter to go along with her whims. “Play with me.”

Heejin sighs. She looks down at the ground and shakes her head. She questions herself and her inability to act like her normal self with Kim Hyunjin. If this was anyone else, she would probably have already punched them in the face and took her leave.

But

When it’s Kim Hyunjin…Heejin silently follows along.

“We’ve been walking for a while now,” Heejin complains. Not because of the distance, but because of the early summer heat. Walking uphill in the middle of an empty street in a residential area certainly didn’t help her feel better. “Where are we going?”

Silence. Not even a glance of acknowledgement this time.

“You’re ignoring me now? After dragging me all the way here?” Heejin tries to yank her wrist out of Kim Hyunjin’s hold, but not actually because she didn’t mind it.

This time, Kim Hyunjin does acknowledge her. She turns around and smiles at Heejin before looking ahead.

Minutes later, Heejin, out of exhaustion, plops down on the bench of the old run-down playground they arrive at, Kim Hyunjin on the complete opposite side of the same bench, fiddling with her lighter.

Soft breeze quickly dries Heejin’s sweat up and she’s left staring at what she’s allowed to see of the morning blue sky through a circle of trees surrounding the playground.

There were three swings, one of which had its chain broken. Monkey bars. A beige slide that perhaps was yellow once but the accumulated dust changed its appearance. The small bathroom building in the corner might have been grey once, but right now, it’s covered in colorful graffiti that surprisingly ignited the creative flame inside of Heejin.

What am I doing here? Heejin asked herself.

But she didn’t have much time to dwell on that thought as the smell of tobacco filled the air. She immediately turns to the only celebrate possible and indeed, there was Kim Hyunjin with a stick of cancer in her mouth. Smoke wafting out of it and out of her mouth as she exhaled.

“Yah…” Heejin gulped with a grimace.

Hyunjin gave her a side glance, no longer smiling like earlier, but expressionless like the second time they’ve met. Heejin hates to admit it, but the girl does look intimidating when she’s not smiling that mischief filled grin Heejin hates so much.

“Does the smoke bother you?” Hyunjin exhales away from Heejin this time.

“No, but…” it did a little, but Heejin didn’t feel like letting Kim Hyunjin know that, “You’re smoking in your uniform?” she pans down to Hyunjin’s grey skirt and blazer over a white button up, “Are you stupid?”

Hyunjin shrugs, “It’s okay. No one comes here.”

Heejin sighs.

Unbelievable.

“You were lying when you said you slept past your stop, right?”

“Yeah.” Kim Hyunjin admits nonchalantly, glancing at Heejin with her sharp eyes, cigarette between her lips.

“Yeah?” Heejin raises an amused brow. Cracking a small smile for the first time. There’s that other feeling, a magnetic feeling Heejin’s been pushing to the back of her head since the first time she’s met this girl, and yet again, she refuses to acknowledge it. She’s the first to break eye contact and inspect the run-down playground. “Whatever, weirdo. So, where are we? An abandoned playground?”

“Yeah.” Hyunjin exhales first before continuing, “There were a lot of delinquents who come here to smoke and graffiti the bathroom since this area is a bit secluded, so they opened up another play ground in a more open space right down the street.”

Heejin smirked. “Delinquents? Like you?” she leaned down to get a better look at Kim Hyunjin’s face and surprisingly…she didn’t look offended by the accusation. In fact, “Yeah.” She chuckled, a cloud of smoke puffing out of her mouth abruptly, “Like me.”

It’s odd for one to be able to admit to something horrible like that, but then again, Heejin respects that about a person, because, well, she’s one herself. Not the smoking type, but she does get into fist fights often, skips school often, and the concrete of the side walk in the playground in her neighborhood is covered in chalk drawings of animals made by none other than her.

She’s not really one to call out Kim Hyunjin.

Not really.

Not that she wants to anyway.

She does, however, want to call her out on something else.

“So why did you bring me here?” It was Heejin’s turn to tease the taller girl. She had a similar mischievous smile and everything. She got even closer to Kim Hyunjin to get a better look at her downcast face, “Could it be you wanted my attention?”

Kim Hyunjin stares back at her indifferently, “What? You’re one to talk.” And then she breaks the eye contact quickly, stuffing the butt of the cigarette in her mouth.

Heejin bites her lip to prevent herself from celebrating too early. Kim Hyunjin’s finally off her game, “You’re getting flustered! I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I?”

Kim Hyunjin laughs softly, “Whatever, I’m leaving.” She gets up, dusts her butt of dust, and walks away.

“Yah! Wait for me!” Heejin stumbles to follow.

Just like that, they silently make their way back to the station. Silently ride the train back, and Heejin leaves Kim Hyunjin in the train with a simple ‘see you around’.

She was smiling to herself the entire walk to school.


	3. Spinning Her Wheels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin doesn't see Kim Hyunjin on the train anymore.

Heejin is sitting on the school gym floor in PE class, waiting for her classmates to all come in eventually. She sighs loudly and buries her face between her arms on top of her knees, unable to hide her stress and frustration any longer.

“Sighing? That’s rare.” Her one and only friend Kim Jiwoo sitting beside her looks at her with amusement, “So even the mighty Jeon Heejin has worries.”

You don’t even know, Heejin thinks. She didn’t even have it in her to roll her eyes at Jiwoo’s remarks like she always does.

Kim Jiwoo was Heejin’s deskmate on the first day of high school. Despite Heejin’s habit of picking fights and fighting back when getting picked on, it didn’t drive Kim Jiwoo away from her side. In fact, she’s always seen sitting at the side while Heejin gives a bitch a bloody nose for one reason or another.

She’s easy to rile up, that’s what Jiwoo had told her before. She’s somewhat arrogant, hardly ever talks, rarely ever smiles, and her beauty is very intimidating. She had a lot of admirers, Jiwoo says, but they’re scared of approaching her because of her temper.

Despite all of that, Kim Jiwoo saw right through her. Jiwoo saw the sensitive lonely soul Jeon Heejin really was and stuck by her side. She had a troubling temper, but that never bothered Jiwoo. Because she was the exception Jeon Heejin made. The one who accepted Heejin and loved her as she is, not what she wanted her to be.

“Oh, dear.” It is only expected that said Jiwoo would get concerned when the usually indifferent ‘I don’t care about anything’ attitude of Heejin suddenly vanishes and is replaced with a pouty anxious girl who’s curled up on herself, “You really are down today. What’s wrong?”

Heejin, despite her better judgment, doesn’t chew Jiwoo out when the girl puts a hand on her head and pats it as if she were a small animal, because, well, she had other things to worry about right now, and well, it felt nice and comforting.

Heejin tells Jiwoo about Kim Hyunjin.

About the basketball game during her 2nd year of middle school.

About the busted lip and bloody nose.

About how they met again a couple of months ago on the train.

About Kim Hyunjin’s annoying personality and annoying face and annoying voice.

About their rendezvous in the playground.

Last but not least, about how Kim Hyunjin had gone radio silent since then.

Heejin hadn’t seen Hyunjin on the train since their little adventure and Heejin who had been unconsciously looking forward to seeing Kim Hyunjin again has been getting more and more disappointed day after day. She’s been even coming to school regularly just to maybe bump into Hyunjin one of these days, but that hadn’t happened so far, and she’s left with her own thoughts and assumptions to make.

Was it something I did?

“Nah, I didn’t do anything. In fact, that douche is the one at fault here.” Heejin tries to convince herself, a smug smile slowly creeps its way to her face the more delusions she indulges herself into, “Actually, bumping into her again after all these years was a real pain in the ass! Ha!” she sighs in relief and smiles to Jiwoo, “Good riddance.”

“Easy to bounce back as always, I see.” Jiwoo chuckles, but then a frown masks her face as she recalls a certain memory, “Wait, did you say her uniform was grey?”

Heejin raised a curious brow, “Yeah?”

“Oh, wow.” Jiwoo’s jaw fell in awe, “That’s the private school in the town next door. You have to be really smart to get into that school. They’ve got really lax rules though. I tried getting in there, but wasn't cut for it.”

Heejin nodded in amusment. That explains Kim Hyunjin’s nonchalance over the cigarettes. She didn’t even wear her uniform properly. Her shirt had an extra button open and she didn’t wear her tie.

A bang of sadness hits Heejin’s heart when she thinks of the cat-eyed girl. She had thought they had somewhat of a friendship by now, but apparently, she was wrong.

“You’ve been coming to school every day just to meet her on the train, haven’t you?” Jiwoo teases, “Stalker.”

“I’m not a stalker!”

Again, with that word!

“You have a crush on her!”

“No! I do not!” Heejin yelled perhaps a bit too loudly, because their gathering classmates suddenly quieted down and looked at her, and Heejin was left an embarrassed mess, burying her face between her arms again.

Fuck Kim Jiwoo.

Heejin, in fact, does not have a crush on Kim Hyunjin and is definitely not stalking her.

…

That being said, after school hours ended and Heejin didn’t see Hyunjin on the train ride back, yet again, She found herself not budging when the train proceeded past her stop. She looked through the windows back at where she should have gotten off and bit her lip anxiously.

She’s not a stalker.

Actually, who would want to stalk a girl like Kim Hyunjin? That’s just a ridiculous notion.

…

But then again, Kim Hyunjin is really attractive, so there might be a few people who would want to follow her around.

Jeon Heejin definitely was not one of those people. She definitely wasn’t bewitched by Kim Hyunjin’s everything and that’s definitely not why she’s currently laying on the same bench she and Hyunjin used in the abandoned playground. She just liked the playground and wanted to come again.

Yup

That’s the only reason why she’s here right now.

Not for any alternative motives.

She’s not a stalker.

She’s not a stalker.

She’s not a-

“If you fall asleep in a place like this you’re going to get jumped, you know?”

Heejin jolts awake, her ears tingling when the familiar voice she’s been dreaming about invaded her senses. Kim Hyunjin’s small pretty face and playful grin come into proximity and Heejin is left breathless as she stares upon the girl above her.

Kim Hyunjin’s hovering over her, a hand on the side of Heejin’s head so she could support herself while straddling Heejin so she could whisper in her ear.

“Whoa there.” Heejin unconsciously pushes the girl away by the chest, and Hyunjin makes an impressed expression at the power Heejin put into that push. Heejin sits up, feeling a bit disoriented. Her heart was still pounding quickly from the scare, not from anything else, and she felt somewhat embarrassed for being caught here of all places.

Because, well, there’s no explaining this.

There’s no explaining why she’s here other than the obvious fact that she wanted to see Hyunjin again.

Hell, Heejin didn’t even know how to explain it to herself.

Why did she want to see Kim Hyunjin again so badly?

“Were you looking for me?”

There it is again.

That smug annoying teasing all too knowing little smile Kim Hyunjin does that riles Heejin up to no end.

But

She didn’t even make an effort to avoid the question, twist the truth, or just lie and avoid this situation. “I haven’t seen you on the train lately, so…”

Hyunjin’s smile softened up, turned a bit kinder, a bit less teasing, an expression that was so alien to Heejin she didn’t even know what kind of smile it was. “I started taking an earlier train.”

Heejin raises a brow, feeling scared and insecure, “Why?”

Hyunjin chuckles softly, her face settles into yet another mysterious smile Heejin couldn’t decipher, “Why, you ask. I just wondered what would happen.”

What would happen?

As in, what would Heejin do?

Is she making fun of her?

Is she satisfied now to know that Heejin bit the bait she threw her way?

Manipulating her as she pleases?

Heejin bit her lip harshly.

Nobody fucks with her like this.

At this point she would be punching Hyunjin, but, that’s not what she did. That’s not what she did at all. Instead, she did what she’s been craving to do since the last time she’s been here. She grabbed Kim Hyunjin roughly by the collar of her shirt and pulled her down, forcing the taller into her previous position of straddling her and just…kissed her right on the lips.

It was short, it wasn’t sweet, it tasted like tobacco, and worst of all, it wasn’t reciprocated.

When Heejin’s hold on her shirt went lax, Hyunjin slowly pulled away, a mix of surprise and confusion written all over her face, but she didn’t get off the shorter. Instead, that same smug smile she always wears on her pretty face like a fucking trophy made an appearance, “What the hell…?” and she chuckled.

Fucking chuckled.

Heejin pushed the taller off of her roughly, sending the girl to sit on her butt right on the edge of the other side of the bench, “Don’t fuck with me Kim Hyunjin. I’m not your fucking plaything!” And she left. She couldn’t bare to be there anymore. She was angry, frustrated, confused, embarrassed, and worst of all, hurt.

Once she walked a considerable distance away from the abandoned playground, she broke into a sprint, ignoring the burning tears streaming down her face. But she had a hard time ignoring the sound of her heart breaking apart.

Fuck you, Kim Hyunjin.


	4. The Awaited was Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin pays Jeon Heejin's school a visit.

After kissing and cursing Kim Hyunjin out, Heejin went home in tears. She entered the loft her father had bought for her to live in alone since she started high school almost two years ago and immediately collapsed in her bed, crying her heart out.

It was hard to admit, especially for Heejin, that she liked somebody. Especially since it’s the first time, and Kim Hyunjin went and played her like the fool Heejin finally admitted to herself she was.

What the hell was she thinking?

What on earth did she think was going to happen between her and Hyunjin when she shows up to that playground?

Nothing good.

Nothing good, Heejin now allowed herself to realize, only it’s a bit too late. The damage had been done.

The moment she pulled Kim Hyunjin into that kiss was the exact same moment she realized just how much she liked the taller girl. She was just…exquisite.

A sight for sore eyes. A mystery to unravel. Played the push and pull game just enough to wrap Heejin around her little finger without Heejin even knowing where she was headed.

Before she even knew it, Heejin had unexpectedly fallen, and god damn it, it hurts. She didn’t know what hurt her, exactly. The fact that she was played? Or the fact that she got her heart broken at the same time?

Perhaps both.

But Heejin didn’t let it get to her too much. She had more important things to tend to beside her newly existent miserable love-life.

She’s gotten through worse things. Neglect. Broken trust. Abandonment. Bullying. She could get through heartbreak as well. No biggie.

Heejin’s weekend went as peacefully and quietly as it always does, despite the mess Kim Hyunjin had made of her emotional and mental state.

She did her chores. Went grocery shopping. Made herself dinner. Worked on her wildly popular webtoon. Cooked herself dinner. Went to sleep exceptionally late, as always.

The next day, Saturday rolled around. Heejin woke up late in the morning, but managed to get herself together right around lunch time where she went to a fast-food place with Jiwoo and Jiwoo’s friends.

She calls them Jiwoo’s friends because they’re not her friends, although they were nice enough to her to ask her to join them for lunch every Saturday and hang out after, but Heejin always skips the hang out after because she’s a busy person and unlike the majority of 17-year-olds, she has a full-time job.

Jeon Heejin has loved the arts ever since she was a little kid. Her parents had gotten her into all sorts of lessons and she only tried hard enough to improve in the artistic fields which she enjoyed the most. She can play piano, guitar, and draws like a pro. She is a pro.

Because she didn’t have any commitments to tend to in the summer between middle school and high school, no friends to hang out with, no family to spend time with, newly moved into a place of her own, Heejin bought a drawing tablet to expand on her hobby of drawing.

What started as a few favorites on DeviantArt turned into a featured comic on Line Webtoons. The pay is nice. The pay is really nice. She’s making a lot of money for her age and she’s currently saving up for a house to hopefully get her independence from her parents sooner than later.

But well, it does feel like she already achieved that since they have basically abandoned her. Her mom calls once a month. Her dad calls once or twice every three months. And that’s about it.

Heejin’s hurt and angry, but every time she voices that out to them, they bring up how they’re working for her, so unlike them, she can have a comfortable life. They own a large successful business together. They make a lot of money, and Heejin’s rolling in it.

But

It doesn’t make up for growing up alone, basically without parents. They would pay people to spend time with her. Tutors, classes and the like, but it was mostly null.

At 10 years old, Heejin’s parents had to put her into therapy. She was depressed, anxious, and angry. Very angry. So angry she still has to do breathing exercises and workout regularly to let out the steam to this day. Otherwise she would just lash out at anyone and everyone.

Sunday morning. She finally finishes the new chapter to her hard-boiled action/adventure comic and uploads it.

Finally, it’s time to get a good night’s sleep. Or so she wishes. She still has to do homework and at least put a little effort into studying to not end up getting held back a year.

Monday arrives. Heejin doesn’t see Hyunjin again in the train, mainly because Heejin took a later train than usual to avoid her in case Hyunjin decided to take their usual train rather than an earlier one.

School sucks, as always. Class sucks, as always. Not that she would know, she naps through half the thing. Her classmates suck, as always. Except for Jiwoo. Jiwoo’s cool.

On their way out of school, Jiwoo was clinging to her arm while fiddling with her phone with her free hand. Heejin kept her eyes on the ground, still feeling down after Kim Hyunjin.

But then, something Heejin wouldn’t have expected in a million years happened.

“Yah, isn’t that girl wearing that private school’s uniform we were talking about the other day.” Jiwoo points out.

Heejin looks up. Just in front of their school gate stood a girl wearing the same uniform as Hyunjin. In fact, it was Hyunjin herself waving at her with a small smile.

“Fuck.” And Heejin just bolts out of there. Running in the middle of an empty street like a mad woman. She hears Jiwoo calling her name, but that didn’t matter to her right now. What mattered was the fact that Kim Hyunjin was running right after her.

“Yah, Jeon Heejin! Why are you running?” The asshole’s smiling. She’s having fun. She’s playing with her again.

“Shut up! Stop following me!”

“Did one kiss shake you up that badly?”

“Don’t say that in public, you idiot!”

“Then stop running already!”

Heejin does indeed, stop running. Not because Hyunjin asked her to, but because Hyunjin abruptly started slowing down and came to a sudden halt. She was visibly panting heavily and supported herself with a hand on the wall of a random house. But even that wasn’t enough. She collapsed on her knees not even a second later.

Heejin was dumfounded.

Is this really the same Kim Hyunjin who beat her at basketball in middle school?

They weren’t even running a minute.

“You’re *huff* *huff* so fast.” Hyunjin states, looking up at Heejin who had reluctantly walked back to her and is now looking at her with a smug smile of victory.

“All that tobacco fucked up your lungs, idiot. Stop smoking.” And for some reason, Heejin found some humor in that.

“Why are you running?” Hyunjin asks through rugged breathing.

“Why did you come all the way to my school?”

Hyunjin smiles to herself, avoiding Heejin’s eyes, “Just…because.”

“Just because?”

“Just because.”

It wasn’t just because.

In fact, Hyunjin remembers.

Heejin’s kiss reminded her of a distant memory from middle school. That time they faced each other on the basketball court. Hyunjin wasn’t feeling well that day. She was light headed and felt a bit feverish. She was supposed to sit half the game out, but playing against a strong-willed girl who just wouldn’t let her through the opposing team’s defense got her fired up.

Jeon Heejin was a pretty girl. A really pretty girl who had amusing expressions. Looked really cute when she got mad. She’s a good player. Better than most girls their age, at least, and for the first time in forever, Hyunjin was having a lot of fun in a game and not just playing for the sake of playing.

Until they pumped into each other.

Their lips collided roughly, busting both for their lips open. Upon hitting the gym floor hard head first, Hyunjin’s nose started bleeding because of the trauma, but as she stared upon the girl above her groaning in pain with a bloody mouth similar to her mouth which she’s covering with her hand, she felt an intense sense of shyness strike her and she’s not the kind to get shy easily.

She and this pretty girl above her have kissed.

It was a painful accident, but they have kissed.

When the girl got off of her, she looked so mad and was so red in the face Hyunjin thought she was about to curse her out, but that’s not what came out of her bloody mouth she was roughly wiping at with tissues handed to her by her teammates.

“Yeah, I knew it. I thought you just didn’t care, but you’re not feeling well. Are you?” she threw her tissue on the ground harshly, practically yelling at her, “Don’t just stay quiet and power through, you idiot! Say something! What if you’ve gotten even more badly hurt?!”

Heejin wasn’t angry about her own bloody mouth. She was concerned about her.

With that, Hyunjin was quickly yanked off the ground which didn’t do much to help with how light headed she was, but, when she went home that day, she was left with the vivid memory of Jeon Heejin’s stunning side profile, her firm hands holding tightly into her, and the smell of a sweet shower gel mixed with sweat as she supported both of them on their walk to the infirmary.

What are the chances, years later, to over sleep one day and be forced to take a later train than her usual, only to find that same girl from middle school, now older, sleeping in the corner with the seat right next to her empty?

Hyunjin had sat there, smiling to herself throughout the entire ride. Her heart was pounding from old feelings streaming back into her heart like they were never gone as the girl she may or may not had a crush on slept quietly beside her.

Hyunjin had it all planned out. She would just take that as a chance to be close to Jeon Heejin. Enjoy her presence. Enjoy all the heart fluttering feelings she brings her. Enjoy looking at that gorgeous side profile she vividly engraved in her brain, and relish in the joy of just being near her.

But

What she didn’t plan was for Jeon Heejin to wake up just as she was leaving her side, and right before she leaves her alone for good, call out her name as if they were long time acquaintances.

Heejin remembered her.

Jeon Heejin knew who she was.

Hyunjin was just curious.

Oh, so very curious.

What kind of person has Jeon Heejin grew up to be?

Does she still play basketball?

Does she have a boyfriend?

A girlfriend?

Hyunjin wanted to know.

But first, Hyunjin wanted to know why Jeon Heejin remembered who she was. Why she called out to her so abruptly like that. Why she looked like she had something to say, stuck in the base of her throat and unable to come out, which is not something Jeon Heejin does often, Hyunjin came to realize.

She’s confrontational, despite her fear and obvious insecurity. The tough girl act was just that, an act. Jeon Heejin was just a shy teenage girl who had trouble voicing out her feelings.

And somehow, that only made her more charming in Hyunjin’s eyes.

She wanted to know.

She wanted to know if someone like her, a lone wolf who doesn’t care much for life could catch the attention of a strong-willed girl like Jeon Heejin.

So, she reeled her out and riled her up. That was the easy part. Played push and pull with her. That was the scary part, because she didn’t know if Jeon Heejin would pull back, but she did. Joyfully, she did. And then came the last part. To know Jeon Heejin’s real feelings towards her, she baited her into a trap that Jeon Heejin innocently jumped into. That was the regretful part.

Jeon Heejin fell for her, and Hyunjin made that fall painful.

She’s never been in a situation like this.

She didn’t know better.

But now she does.

And now she’s willing to risk getting herself hurt to make it up to Jeon Heejin.

“Can you stand?”

Heejin leans down so they’re on eye level.

So kind

So sweet

“At this rate you won’t be able to play basketball like you used to, you know?”

Hyunjin stares at the hand Heejin extended for her and smiles. She reaches past it to Heejin’s tie and pulls. She kisses her. Just like Heejin did that Friday afternoon, Hyunjin kissed Heejin. Her heart leaped in joy at the soft sensation.

It was short. It was sweet. Tasted like Heejin’s bubble gum, but unfortunately, it wasn’t reciprocated.

Heejin pulled away reluctantly. More like pushed Hyunjin away slowly, face beet red. “What- What the hell?”

And Hyunjin just smiled sweetly at the flustered girl, “Now we’re even.”

“I- I don’t get you!”

And Hyunjin just laughs at that.


	5. A Meal or Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeon Heejin and Kim Hyunjin go out for a meal together.

Heejin sat there nervously, fiddling with her noodles using her chopsticks. She occasionally looked up at Kim Hyunjin sitting opposite her and felt her heart jump up to her throat when the taller smiled sweetly at her. So, unlike the teasing smile she used to give her prior.

Suddenly there were chopsticks in front of her, a piece of bulgogi in front of her. “Say, ahh.”

Ahh?

Kim Hyunjin is surprisingly completely fine with PDA.

“A-…Ahh.” Heejin reluctantly opens her mouth and accepts the food Hyunjin offered.

“You’re so petite.” Hyunjin comments, picking up more food to give to Heejin.

“Petite?!” Heejin, on the other hand, snaps. Taking offense in that. While still chewing, she leaned back on her seat with a frown and lifted her button up and undershirt out of her skirt to show Hyunjin how defined her abs were.

“Oh, nice.” Hyunjin was a mess on the inside.

Heejin smiles and nods in approval. She picks up her fork again and this time she actually starts eating her own food.

They eat in silence for a little bit.

Hyunjin happened to be leaning forward a bit too much, causing her lighter which she keeps in her shirt’s pocket to fall onto the table with a clank.

Heejin glares at the intruding object on their table, “You should really quit smoking. You’re hurting yourself you know? And the people around you!” she didn’t quite snap this time, but, frustration was obvious in her voice.

Hyunjin smiles to herself a little and looks up, “Being told something so sensible by you makes me anxious.”

Heejin surprisingly doesn’t take offense to that. Probably because she’s self-aware.

While Heejin finishes only half of her food, Hyunjin finishes all of it. “You were pretty hungry, huh?” Heejin notes.

Hyunjin hums, “I had a bread roll for lunch.”

“A bread roll?” Heejin repeats, frowning deeply, “Like, one bread roll?”

“Un.” Hyunjin nods.

Heejin shakes her head, “Why?”

“It was delicious.” Hyunjin states, leaning her head to the side, confused as to why Heejin is surprised by her choice of food.

“I understand that, but…you know what? Never mind.” And Heejin just gives up. After weeks of spending unlabeled time together, Heejin had made peace with the fact that Kim Hyunjin is a weird person who says and does weird things sometimes and that there are things that she would just never understand.

A beat later, as they wait for the bill, Heejin clenched her fist and visibly curled up on herself, appearing even more petite than she already looks. Her face is beet red as she says hesitatingly, “Want me…to make you a lunch box?”

Hyunjin’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise, “You? Cooking?” she just couldn’t imagine Heejin slaving over a stove. Feels like she’ll punch a hole through the pan if anything goes wrong. Hyunjin laughs just imagining it.

Heejin just stares at the girl she’s been seeing(?). Really done with her bullshit. “Just you wait and see, Kim Hyunjin! After you taste my cooking, you’re gonna want to have it so much you won’t even be able to pull off that shit eating grin. Just you wait!”

And Heejin did indeed deliver on that promise.

Well, she would like to assume she did.

The very next day, she sits alone at her desk in school, staring anxiously at her phone screen, waiting for Hyunjin to say something, anything about the lunch box she gave her that morning in the train.

“Heekkie, let’s go to the cafeteria.” Jiwoo approaches cheerfully.

“I brought lunch today.” Heejin states monotonously.

Jiwoo stands there dumfounded, staring back and forth at the yet to be opened lunch box on her friend’s desk and at Heejin’s serious face. “You’re telling me you woke up early this morning and made yourself lunch?”

“Yeah.”

More like pulled an all nightery working and instead of sleeping she just cooked. By the time she was done cooking, cleaning, and showering, it was time to leave for school.

“I-…I don’t know who you are.” Jiwoo just leaves. She’s too scared of the positive(?) change she sees in Heejin and she had not adjusted yet. Besides, Heejin seems to be waiting for something, or perhaps someone to text her.

Maybe it’s work?

Maybe it’s her parents?

Maybe it’s her unofficial girlfriend she’s been ditching Jiwoo to go on unofficial dates with.

Jiwoo really hopes it the last one of the three.

A text finally came, causing Heejin to perk up.

It’s Hyunjin.

It’s a video.

Heejin was flattered.

She was very flattered.

Hyunjin found her food so delicious she felt the need to make an entire video about it and send it to her.

How sweet of her.

And then she plays the video and Justin Bieber’s Yummy starts blasting.

Heejin immediately stuffs the phone between her thighs to block out the sound, like an idiot. The entire class is looking at her now. Only then does she just make a single tap on her screen and the video stops playing.

Great

Now the entire class thinks she’s into that kind of music.

Justin Bieber no less.

She sends Hyunjin a single text.

Heejin: Fuck you.

Hyunjin replies with a winky face.

Heejin closes her phone and buries her face between her arms in frustration and embarrassment.

But then, she receives another text from Hyunjin, and it ends up making Heejin smile to herself for the rest of the day.

Hyunjin: I’ll make you one tomorrow

Heejin: I’ll hold you to that


	6. When Two Cheeky Girls Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeon Heejin and Kim Hyunjin fight.
> 
> A lot.

Jeon Heejin’s and Kim Hyunjin’s relationship is something most people would call turbulent.

They fight.

They fight a lot.

They fight every day.

But somehow, it always leads to sex.

Example. 1

The couple are in Heejin’s loft. They just finished a steamy shower together. Hyunjin had inconsiderably laid in bed with her hair still wet, and well, the bedsheets got damp.

“Yah!” Heejin snapped. “I just laid these out! We can’t sleep on it now!”

And well, despite being perceived as a calm and chill person, Hyunjin wasn’t the kind of person who would take shit from anybody. Not even Heejin.

“So what? We can just change it.” She raised a challenging eyebrow.

“Change it? You know that would just add up to the laundry pile that I’m eventually going to have to deal with, right?”

“And?”

“And? That’s all you have to say?”

“Yeah, and? What do you want me to do? I already got it wet.”

Heejin threw her hands in the air and shook her head. “Ugh fuck you.” She walks away.

Hyunjin chuckles sarcastically, “That’s all you’re good at Jeon Heejin. All talk and no action.”

“Oh, I’ll show you action.” Heejin walks right back and throws Hyunjin’s towel aside.

“Do it, then.” Hyunjin challenged even further, biting the shorter girl’s lower lips, hands wandering. Heejin always took the pain and pleasure she gave her so well.

Later that night, the two could be seen sleeping soundly on clean sheets that Hyunjin kindly changed. She did Heejin’s laundry the next morning. Just like she always does before leaving.

What riled Hyunjin up the most is, Heejin knows Hyunjin’s been doing her laundry before she leaves.

She could have just said she wanted more rather than pick up a fight with her.

Such a Tsundere.

Example. 2

“Don’t smoke in bed! That’s dangerous!”

“Ugh, shut up.”

“Make me!”

Example. 3

They were in the usual place, the abandoned playground, just talking and having a pleasant time.

“Die, bitch!”

Hyunjin quickly dodge a high kick that was suspiciously too far away to hit her face. She got a hold of Heejin’s leg mid air and placed it on her shoulder. “Don’t know what you’re mad about.”

“More reason to kill you!”

There was too much yelling for Hyunjin’s sensitive ears, “You’re so noisy.” With a glare of her own, she kissed the side of Heejin’s milky white leg just above her ankle, but it was only when she bit her lightly did Heejin get alarmed.

“Y- Yah! What the hell are you doing?” there was a yelp as the kisses and bites proceeded further up her leg until Hyunjin decided she wanted to push her down and fuck her right there in the open air. “Kim Hyunjin, I’m gonna kill you after this!”

Heh

After this, she says.

But when the time comes…

“What were you mad about again?” Hyunjin asks with an exhale of her cigarette smoke.

“I don’t remember…also fuck you.”

Hyunjin chuckles. Despite her foul language, Heejin is cutely curled in her lap, Hyunjin’s blazer draped over her shoulders.

“Dork.”

Example. 4

Jiwoo finally got to meet the infamous Kim Hyunjin.

“So, what do you like about Heejin?” Jiwoo asked with her big sparkly eyes, excited to hear her friend’s love story.

Hyunjin raised a brow. Who does this girl think she is to question her like this? Might as well destroy her rose colored vision, “I’m only with her out of pity.” She says with a smirk.

“Yeah, fucking right!” Heejin snaps, “As if you’ll find someone who would put up with you beside me! Also, we’re not together!”

Jiwoo silently watched the two pick at one another while flirting at the same time for probably an hour before she slipped away while muttering, “Please, get a room.”

The very next day, Jiwoo smiles to herself as she snaps a picture of Heejin’s side profile.

Heejin raises a confused brow, “What’s up?”

Jiwoo snickered to herself, “I always thought you were a prude, but you’ve got a wild side to you as well.”

Jiwoo turns her phone around so Heejin could see. To the later girl’s horror, there was a red mark the size or Africa right on the side of her neck, barely visible above her shirt’s collar when she brushes her hair aside.

“Kim Hyunjin, you’re a dead woman!”

Meanwhile, in the town next door, at a certain private school. Said Kim Hyunjin was in somewhat of a similar situation.

“Oh, wow. Now that’s a bite mark.” Hyunjin’s PE group mates noticed the teeth marks on her arm, and well, these bunch look for any excuse to talk to Hyunjin, really.

Hyunjin smiles to herself when she notices the mark, “It’s…my puppy.” Perhaps they went at it a bit too roughly yesterday.

“Puppy?”

“That’s neat.”

“Is it cute?”

Hyunjin hums, “Very.”

Later that day

Heejin’s loft

“Don’t leave a mark where everyone can see! It was fucking embarrassing!”

“Says the one who was enjoying it so much last night.”

“What?! Do you want to get bitten again?!”

“Do it then!”

“Fine! You’re fucked!”

Literally

Example. 5

Heejin’s eyes cracked open slowly. She squinted to adjust to the morning light streaming in through the little gap of the curtains. She sat up in her bed, Kim Hyunjin’s arm fell right off of her abdomen and the taller ended up stirring awake.

“Morning.” Hyunjin greets.

Heejin, still a bit out of it, hums in response. She grabs her phone and checks the time. “Fuck!”

“What?” Hyunjin puts a hand on her ear. Noisy as always.

“It’s 9, that’s what! We overslept! Why didn’t the alarm go off?!” Hyunjin turned it off while half asleep.

Heejin didn’t even bother jumping into the shower after freshening up. She quickly gathered what she could find of her school uniform scattered on the floor and grabbed her phone.

“Heejin that’s- “

“No time!”

“But- “

“I’m leave first! Lock the door on your way out!”

Just like that, Heejin left like she was getting chased by a wild animal.

Hyunjin stared at the door Heejin just slammed shut in amusement.

“Wow, what an idiot.” She laughed for a bit and went right back to sleep. A day off won’t hurt.

Heejin, meanwhile, is about to experience the most embarrassment moment of her life.

She arrives to school, gets in class with a late slip, and is immediately stopped by their teacher before she can take her seat. “You’re late. You somehow forgot your bag, and you’re wearing another’s school’s uniform? Jeon Heejin, what on earth is going on?!”

All of the school had probably seen her with Hyunjin before when the later picks her up from school, and Heejin’s half asleep-self not only just exposed that she is sexually active, but who’s her partner as well.

“You’re back? That was quick.” Hyunjin who’s been chilling and eating Heejin’s fridge out for the past hour was already laughing just looking at her standing at the door with slouched shoulders.

“They let me come home…I got an earful. Also, everybody knows I’m sleeping with you now…” Heejin walks like a zombie towards Hyunjin who catches her in her arms and embraces her tightly.

“You’re such an idiot.”

“A what?!”

“An idiot.” She kisses the side of the petite girl’s neck, “Does it matter if everybody knows?”

“It does matter.”

“Okay.” Hyunjin nods. “Well, I’m going home.”

Heejin didn’t let her pull away from the hug. “You’re already home. You’re with me.”

Hyunjin, who rarely gets bashful, bites her lip lightly and chuckles into Heejin’s ear, “Idiot.”


	7. Love Me Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heejin somehow confesses to Kim Hyunjin.

Heejin stared at the baseball in her hand, lost in her own thoughts. The weather was great. Perfect day for a day out in the park. A real park, not the abandoned playground Hyunjin and her frequent for some reason.

There are people jogging in the pathways. People with their dogs. Families having a picnic. Couples on dates.

Speaking of couples on dates…

She threw the ball right back at Hyunjin who skillfully caught it with her glove, despite Heejin’s sloppy pitch.

“So, you’re telling me, you overslept and missed your biology final exam?” Hyunjin for some reason found humor in that and laughed, “How lame.” She throws Heejin the ball, and unlike Heejin’s pitch, it directly landed in Heejin’s raised hand.

Heejin stared at the girl meters away from her, and thought to herself just how deeply in love she is with this girl. How much she wants to be with her, kiss her, and touch her more.

“Shut it.” Heejin sucked her teeth and abruptly threw the ball towards Hyunjin’s face to hopefully give her another bloody nose, but as expected. Hyunjin was fast to react and caught it with her gloved hand.

Heejin was honestly impressed. Hyunjin’s incredibly athletic, despite her increasingly low stamina due to smoking. Basketball, soccer, softball, tennis. Any sport that involves a ball, Kim Hyunjin is a pro at. Even if she hadn’t even tried it before.

Which frustrated Heejin who’s even more competitive than Hyunjin is.

They have been spending a lot of time together since Hyunjin kissed her.

They sit together in the train. Hyunjin picks Heejin up from school when their schedules allow it. They hang out a lot. They have sleepovers at Heejin’s place often. They kiss quite a lot too.

As if they’re dating.

Are they dating?

Can she even call this a date?

Heejin didn’t know.

“Is this a date?” so she just asks.

Hyunjin who had her mouth stuffed with Heejin’s homemade food as they sit on their picnic blanket, looked up with a raised brow. “You’re asking me this after all this time?”

It’s been months since that kiss.

“Yes, Heejin. This is a date. We’ve been dating for three months.” Hyunjin sighs and lays down. The tree above them served as the perfect shade from the summer sun.

Heejin hums, a little smile on her face. “Then, ever since we started dating, I’m just bored all the time.”

Hyunjin scoffs, “Well, isn’t that a nice thing to say. You sure looked like you were having fun earlier.”

Heejin frowns. She lays down next to Hyunjin on her stomach and bashfully kisses her cheek. “When you’re not around, everything is dull.” She kisses her again, on the lips this time, “…that’s how much I love you. Which is why I want you to be my girlfriend.”

Hyunjin just stares at her in awe. She didn’t expect Heejin to make the first move like this. But then again, she was the one who kissed her first, so she should have saw this coming too.

Unfortunately for Heejin, she didn’t get to hear Hyunjin’s answer because Hyunjin’s annoying ass phone decided to ring at that exact moment in time.

One look at the caller ID got Hyunjin sitting up and standing up straight. Her back turned to Heejin. “Sorry, it’s urgent.” Is all she says.

Heejin doesn’t it let it go. She quickly follows and hold Hyunjin’s free hand to stop her from walking away. “Wait, answer me first!”

Hyunjin doesn’t say anything.

She doesn’t even turn around.

“I need a clear answer, Kim Hyunjin. Yes, or no?”

And Hyunjin does say something this time, “…does it have to be now?”

She doesn’t love her back.

Hyunjin doesn’t love her back.

“Sorry, I need to take this.”

Maybe…just maybe this is all a misunderstanding.

“Did something happen?” Heejin asks meekly, voice shaking with fear and regret.

Hyunjin shakes her head, “It’s a private issue.”

As usual, Hyunjin evades Heejin’s questions. Every time Heejin gets a bit too close, she gets burned and forced back by Hyunjin.

Even though Heejin had managed to open up to her somehow, Hyunjin never did.

Heejin told her about herself. About her dreams and aspirations. Told her about her childhood, her parents and her relationship with them. About her past, the violence she often engages in and the issues she had to go to therapy for.

Just as a warning for Hyunjin.

To let the girl know what she’s getting herself into before she’s in too deep.

Hyunjin listened carefully. Took everything in, and embraced Heejin when things got too hard. Even when things were easy, she was there to embrace her, kiss her, and comfort her.

But

It seems like she didn’t want the same back from Heejin.

What did she want then?

“What the fuck am I to you, Kim Hyunjin?”

She walked away.

Hyunjin watched her walk away.

She left everything, walked alone all the way to the train station and went home. She may or may not have cried a little bit.

Hyunjin sighed, she might have fucked that up, but she knew something like this would happen sooner or later.

Because at the end of the day, no matter what she says and what she does, she would always be the same cowardly Hyunjin who runs away from her problems.


	8. Just Say What You Want

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin stops being a cowerd

“What are you doing Hyunjin? Stop imposing on Sooyoung and come home already. You’re not planning on going with her when she moves, are you?” Although his voice was calm, it only brough Hyunjin distress and distraught.

Well, you didn’t even try to stop me when I left, she wanted to say, but she didn’t.

After her parents’ divorce back in middle school, they have both moved to two different houses, and as if they had things all planned out and lined up, both got married to different people in the same year.

All Hyunjin remembers of that time is the intense feeling of lose. Not losing her parents, but losing what little sense of stability she had from having two married parents who lived with her in the same house growing up. She didn’t even know it was there until it was gone.

It was as if someone had pulled the carpet from underneath her feet and finding out that there was never ground under it in the first place.

Hyunjin had a bad fall.

A really bad fall.

It was a nasty divorce and a rough transition. Especially when it was time for her to choose which parent she wanted to live with.

She had step siblings. A lot of them. Two step-parents that she hadn’t even met yet. And she was stuck in limbo where she didn’t know what choice to make or what the right thing to do was.

Thankfully, her fall wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. She had someone who cared for her, loved her, and been there for her from the very start, her mother’s little sister, or who Hyunjin is used to calling “Sooyoung-unnie.” Her aunt Sooyoung who was merely just graduating college at the time of the divorce. Just 7 years older than Hyunjin.

She was offered a third option. Her aunt Sooyoung had just gotten a place of her own and told Hyunjin that if she would like, she would love to have her there with her.

Hyunjin couldn’t be happier with going along with that option.

But, good things don’t always last. Sooyoung is getting promoted in her job and she’s getting transferred to her company’s HQ in Seoul, or so she told Hyunjin.

“Did dad say anything to you?” Hyunjin had asked her aunt quietly.

“Yeah,” Sooyoung sighed, her cigarette’s smoke wafted out of the room through the window. “He’s not very comfortable having you live so far away from him. So, he wants you to go back home.”

Hyunjin suppressed a chuckle.

Back home?

What home?

The one she caught him cheating on her mother in?

The one where all the fighting and screaming happened?

Or the one he shares with his new family?

Hyunjin didn’t know which one of the two he was talking about, but she didn’t consider either of them her home.

This, the tiny apartment she shares with her aunt has been her home.

“You’re already home. You’re with me.”

Heejin…

Even Heejin’s been more of a home to her than either of those two she called parents were.

“What…do you think I should do?”

Sooyoung raises a brow, surprised by Hyunjin’s question. Despite their close relationship, she’s never been one to come to her for advice. She sighs and puts out her cigarette in the ashtray. She walks over to her niece and embraces her just like she did when the divorce was happening. She repeated the same words she said to her back then. They have led Hyunjin to a happier place back then, and they will surely lead her to a happier place right now.

“Do whatever you feel like doing.”

That’s usually what she does.

Hyunjin has always done whatever she felt like doing. She always follows whatever whims she gets and her intuition has never let her down.

But right now, Hyunjin’s not sure if that’s true at all. Because that same intuition told her not to admit how much she loves Heejin that afternoon, and now she feels like that’s the worst mistake she ever made.

She lays in her bed, staring at the picture of Heejin’s caller ID. It was of her smiling at the camera while crouching down to pet a stray kitten they found near the station one of these days.

She loves her.

She loves her.

She loves her.

She loves her so much it’s unbearable.

She wants to call her, talk to her, and listen to that deep voice of her mutter words of comfort to her. Maybe tell her what to do.

Would she be mad if Hyunjin called her at such a late hour to ask her for advice? She’s most likely than not awake working. Does she even still have the privilege of asking Heejin for advice after hurting her like that earlier today?

Maybe…it would be better to just let Heejin go like this. Heejin’s stubborn, so she will stay at her trail for a while and pester her. Hyunjin smiles just thinking about it.

Should she just…run away?

Again?

Whatever she decides to do about that needs to wait for later, because, right now, what Hyunjin wanted to do the most is call Heejin.

The first call goes unpicked.

The second one, however.

“Hello?” so deep, and surprisingly calm.

“Hey, it’s me.”

“I know. I have your number saved, idiot.” Rude as always. “What do you want?”

“I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“You…wanted to hear my voice?” Uh-Oh. She’s mad. “The fuck are you on about? We’re fighting right now! You don’t get I wanted to hear your voice privilege! If you’re trying to play games with me again then I’m not playing along this time! Got it?!”

Yeah

Yeah, Hyunjin really gets it.

Although, she’s not sure popping her ear drum was neccecery.

“I’m sorry.” She says it clearly for Heejin to hear. “There is something I wanted to tell you.”

Heejin sighs, “I’m listening.”

Just like that, Hyunjin spends the next hours explaining to Heejin all of her complicated mess. Starting from the reason she doesn’t get along with her parents, constant fighting, cheating, divorce, marriage again, forcing her to choose between them. That was the difficult part.

She tells Heejin about Sooyoung, and how she so kindly been her rock when she needed somebody to lean on. How she gave her a roof over her head, food on her plate, clothes on her back, and never accepted a cent from her father nor asked for anything in return. That was the easy part.

And then she gets to the more complicated part, “So, considering school and stuff, I think I’ll go live with my dad rather than move with Sooyoung. I wanted to think about your confession after things have calmed down a little bit.”

Heejin, on the other side of the phone, was in confusion, “I don’t understand what everything you’ve just told me has anything to do with us.”

“Heejin, it has everything to do with us!”

“But all I fucking want to know is if you love me or not!”

“It’s not that simple, Heejin! Making things official would mean that- “

“You’re over thinking this!”

“I’m just thinking!” Hyunjin sits up in slight panic, which turns into mild panic, which turns into her straight out sobbing in Heejin’s ear. “I don’t want to start dating you on a whim and end up hurting you. How could I not worry about this? I want to think things through carefully, because…I love you.”

So, she does love me.

On the contrary, she actually loves me lots.

On the other side of the phone, Heejin was a red celebrating egotistical mess. “Well, I hate you. Stop assuming that I’m going to get hurt and start worrying all by yourself. Yup. Hate you lots.”

“…”

“Actually, I’m coming over to punch you right now. I’m taking an uber so send me your location.”

*Click*

Hyunjin is left staring at her disconnected call screen for a long time before what Heejin said had sank in.

Merely 20 minutes later, Heejin really did step out of an uber right in front of Hyunjin’s apartment building.

She really came, Hyunjin stared at the girl in a black t-shirt, sleeping shorts and flipflops in wonder. She’s even more strong willed than Hyunjin took her for.

Heejin basically marched her way.

“I’m…sorry.” Hyunjin found herself automatically apologizing and preparing herself for a painful punch on the face, but instead, all she got was a tight hug. And a kiss. And another kiss. And they were basically making out in the dark in front of her home at this point, and Hyunjin didn’t want to stop any of it.

She relished in the taste of Heejin’s mouth and the sensation of the heat of her body. She wanted more and more but this really wasn’t the time.

Heejin pulled away, glaring sharply at Hyunjin. She slapped her shoulder to pushed her away and Hyunjin would have held it in pain if Heejin wasn’t watching her, but she was too proud.

“You finally admitted you love me.”

Hyunjin took an insecure step back, “Hadn’t I said it before?” It feels like she did(?)

“No, you hadn’t! Idiot.” Another slap on the shoulder, quickly followed by another embrace. Heejin took her sweet time snuggling into her shoulder and kissed the pain away. “Have you decided what you want to do?”

Hyunjin sighed and leaned into Heejin, “Not yet, but, I can’t just keep imposing on Sooyoung-unnie forever.”

Although Sooyoung has never made her feel like a burden, Hyunjin knows that her aunt could have moved to a bigger better place, got a lover, bought a lot more things for herself if she weren’t feeding two mouths and paying rent and bills all by herself.

“Honestly…I don’t want to live with my father again. If Sooyoung-unnie would allow me, I want to go with her.” She feels it again, that same sense of panic. Her breathing started getting rugged and she ended up hugging Heejin tighter as she silently cried into her shoulder, “But, if I do that…you and I will be separated.”

Heejin stays silent for a long time. She stands in the heat of the summer, under the darkness of the night and a flickering street light, just embracing Hyunjin into comfort until she calmed down a bit.

“Kim Hyunjin, you idiot. It doesn’t matter how far apart we are. I love you, so I’ll wait until we can be together again. What about you?”

Hyunjin laughs lightly into the tears and pulls away so Heejin can hear her words clearly…as she teases, “Well, aren’t you romantic?”

“Shut it! Are we doing this or not?!”

Hyunjin laughed. Typical Heejin. She embraced the shorter girl into a tight hug and kissed the visible tip of her ear. She whispered, “Whether we’re close together or far apart, I want to be with you.”

Despite the blush that quickly spread across Heejin’s cheek all the way up to her ears, Heejin clung to Hyunjin like her life depended on it, smiling ever so slightly, “Then I’m all yours.”

“And I’m all yours.”


	9. Wake Me Up Before You Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyunjin has a very important conversation with her aunt.

Sooyoung was smoking her 5th cigarette for the night, technically first of the day since it’s well past midnight, when Hyunjin came back up, looking happier than when she went out to ‘take out the garbage’ even though Sooyoung had already did that hours earlier.

She thought Hyunjin would go straight to her room, but the teenager was pacing awkwardly around her. Changing positions from leaning on the kitchen counter to finally taking a seat in front of her on the dining table.

Only then did Sooyoung notice how red her eyes and nose were. Was she crying? She takes that back because the oh so poker faced Hyunjin is tearing up right now right in front of her, live.

Before she could ask her what’s wrong, Hyunjin leaned down on the table until her forehead touched the surface, as if bowing to her, “Thank you very much for caring for me for all these years. It made me very happy.”

Great, now Sooyoung’s tearing up too. What’s this kid on about?

“I know I’m causing you trouble, but, I want to keep on living with you at least until I finish high school.”

This idiot.

“Would you let me stay with you?”

“Of course.” Sooyoung slapped her niece’s head, forcing the girl to look up at her, “Why are you even asking me?” she laughed playfully. Sucking up the tears. Hyunjin needed her right now. She needed her rock. “Have I ever made you feel a burden?”

Hyunjin pursed her lips together and shook her head.

“Good, cuz you’re not.” She chuckles, “This is the first time you’ve told me what you’re thinking, Hyunjin.”

Hyunjin didn’t like it. She didn’t like feeling vulnerable. But, when it’s Heejin…when it’s Sooyoung. She felt safe. She felt like her heart is in safe hands. And she hopes her intuition is right this time as well.

Sooyoung sighed in relief.

So, she decided to stay with her. Sooyoung’s glad. She’s glad that her niece is opening to her more, but she’s also dreading the conversation she’s going to have with her brother-in-law.

And her sister?

Yeah, fuck that bitch for keep radio silent throughout all of this.

She doesn’t deserve a wonderful child like Hyunjin anyway.

Sooyoung has been and will always gladly be there for her niece, no matter what happens.

And well, she’s the favorite daughter for a reason.

Sooyoung was smiling and nodding to herself, drowning in her own ego that Hyunjin just inflated, when she heard the front door open, yet again.

What is it this time? She’s going to free a spider she caught?

Just as Sooyoung was about to open her mouth and question her niece’s reasoning for going out again at this time, she heard the door close and was sent into slight panic when she heard not one, but two pairs of footsteps inside of her apartment.

“Unnie.” Hyunjin called, sticking her head from the kitchen entrance.

“What’s up? Who’s with you?”

Hyunjin licks her lips nervously, but there was a cute little nervous smile on her face, “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

And then not just Hyunjin steps inside her kitchen, but a shorter cute girl steps in as well, hand in hand with her niece. Pale, a couple of moles stand out on her face. A real beauty, if Sooyoung’s allowed to say about a mere teenager.

“Hello.” The girl greets shyly. Bowing to her lower than 90 degrees.

“Welcome. Who’s this? A friend?” she questioned her niece.

Hyunjin looked at her friend and just smiled.

“Y- Yeah. Something like that.” The girl says with a lot of hesitation.

Hyunjin, however, turns to her aunt and shows off their hands where their fingers are intertwined tightly.

“She’s my girlfriend.”

And Sooyoung just burst out laughing.

“I see! So that’s the source of your improvement.”

Hyunjin face palms in embarrassment.

Later in Hyunjin’s room. They’re laying together in her bed, arms around each other. Just taking in each other’s presence and perhaps charging for when they’re separated in merely a couple of weeks.

“You and your aunt kind of resemble each other.”

“Really? Perhaps it’s the smoking I picked up from her? Keep that a secret though.”

“If I tell her, will she make you quit smoking?”

Hyunjin sighed, “I get it, I get it. I’ll quit.”

“Good. I was starting to wonder if I’ll ever get to kiss you without tobacco breath.”

“…”

“I’m kidding, of course. Ha…ha ha…ha.”

“Very funny, Heejin.”

“…”

“You know, the playground…it wasn’t always that run down. It was actually fully functional and booming with kids when I was little.”

“Is that the neighborhood where your old home is?”

“Yeah. When my parents fought I used to run away from home and go to that playground all the time. Eventually one of them would come to find me. I guess that’s why I still go now…deep inside I wish that they would come looking for me again.”

“You sound like a kid, but hey,” Heejin leaned up to kiss her sweetly on the lips, “You were eventually found. By me, that is.”

Hyunjin chuckles, “Yeah…you found me alright.”

“That’s right.” They kiss again, and Hyunjin thinks that beside the warm secure embrace, she’s going to miss Heejin’s kisses the most.

“I think my dad will be really mad at me if I don’t have a proper talk with him before we move. Although, he’s never been mad at me before. Not even when I told on him to mom.”

“Yeah? Well, I think you should go and have your first fight with him. Let it all out.”

Hyunjin sighs, “Sounds like a hassle.”

“…so...you’re really moving, huh?”

“Yeah…”

“…”

“Are you crying?”

“No…”

Heejin, was in fact, crying.

“My t-shirt’s getting wet, though.”

Hyunjin gets a punch on the arm as a response.

“Gosh, I’m gonna miss this domestic abuse.”

“Don’t joke about that! Idiot!” Heejin soothes the pain immediately. She picks up Hyunjin’s hand and kisses it, “It will be alright.”

“Yeah.” Hyunjin smiles at her girlfriend softly, “It will.”

Even if they’re separated and are far apart, the two of them just knew that they would be okay.


	10. After Summer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jiwoo pays her friends a visit

Heejin had a deep frown on her face.

Not a rare sight to behold at all.

“Just choose one already!” Jiwoo exclaimed.

Heejin doesn’t say anything.

Which ones to choose?

Which ones would make Hyunjin happier?

“For the record, I don’t think Hyunjin’s a flowers kind of girl.”

“Shut up, and help me choose! Roses or Tulips?!”

“Chrysanthemums.”

“You’re useless!”

Jiwoo shook her head and threw her hands in the air, giving up on helping her friend pick a gift for her girlfriend.

Well, her friend’s girlfriend is also her friend now so she’s technically helping pick a gift for her friend, in which Jiwoo yet again insists, Hyunjin’s not a flowers kind of girl. She’ll probably be happier with a tray of bread or something.

Speaking of Hyunjin…she did promise to get back to her on considering her for a protentional partner for her aunt. Jiwoo first met Ha Sooyoung in a surprise party she threw her niece for getting accepted into a prestigious college in the states, because Kim Hyunjin’s smart as fuck.

And well, Ha Sooyoung was the gift that keeps on giving. Crop tops. Crop tops all year round. Abs, abs, abs, all year round, and Jiwoo has a hard time hiding her thirst for gorgeous, fit, successful older women.

Ha Sooyoung was it and Jiwoo was a dog for this woman.

If only she weren’t friends with Hyunjin, she would have just gone for it…

Life sucks.

Not for 2jin though, or so they’re dubbed.

After being in a long distant relationship for nearly a year, the couple finally reunited after graduating high school. Heejin who has a flexible job found it best to move away and have a fresh start in the states with Hyunjin as the later attended college.

It’s been four years since then.

Now they’re already at the age of 21 and the couple has a new milestone to celebrate.

“Okay, I’m taking the roses.”

“Boring.”

“You’re not helping!”

“I never said I would help! You dragged me here!”

“Ugh, then shut up and be useful for once! Hold these.”

Several shopping bags, gifts for Hyunjin, were forced into Jiwoo’s unsuspecting arms and she just straight up started wishing an earthquake would strike them right at this moment so she won’t have to live this life anymore.

Jiwoo was just there to visit her friends who she hadn’t seen in months for a weekend, but she already regrets coming.

Let’s just say she chose the wrong timing, because well, it’s 2jin. They’re fighting/flirting at all times. The surprising amount of PDA and sexual tension they emit is very uncomfortable to those around them.

Jiwoo’s been away from them for so long she forgot how uncomfortable it could get. They almost ripped each other’s clothes off last night, right in front of her. How they could still be this hot for each other after five years of dating is a mystery to Jiwoo.

But

She bets she could be just as hot with Ha Sooyoung if only Hyunjin would allow her.

Curse you, Kim Hyunjin.

Said Kim Hyunjin was relaxing back home, in the quiet of the Heejin’s house, listening to silence as she read a semi-exciting book.

The front door beeps and Heejin stumbles in backwards, “I’m home!” she could see somebody’s back retreating in their drive way. “Welcome home.” She gets up to Heejin with the shopping bags she’s struggling with. “Was that Jiwoo?”

“It doesn’t matter. Here!” Heejin shoves the beautiful bouquet of red roses she settled on in between her girlfriend’s hands, “Congratulations on getting into vet school!”

Hyunjin smiles widely, she’s really not a flowers kind of girl, but, anything so thoughtful of Heejin made her happy, “Thank you.” She said shyly.

Hyunjin gets to open gifts upon gifts from her girlfriend who just loves to spoil her rotten. Clothes, accessories, books, food, wine. Heejin knows exactly what Hyunjin likes and dislikes, Hyunjin had a really good time just opening the gifts, and kissing her girlfriend thank you after every single one.

“I talked to Sooyoung-unnie. She said she’ll be getting on the flight tomorrow morning.”

“I see. What about your dad?”

Hyunjin pursed her lips together to stop herself from smiling too big. “He’s coming with her.”

“All these people are flying in just to celebrate you. Aigoo, Kim Hyunjin, aren’t you loved?”

She really is. She’s really loved. She’s been feeling overwhelmed with love since the day Sooyoung took her in. Since the day Heejin kissed her. Since the day Heejin introduced her to Jiwoo. Since the day she had her first fight with her father and they ended up putting everything out on the table.

The thing is, she only has what? 4 people in her life? Having these four people close to her heart and having them keep her close to theirs is all it took for old scars to start to heal and to sooth whatever new ones that show up.

It’s not perfect, life never is. She’s still estranged from her mother. She is yet to make a new friend since Jiwoo when they were 17. But life goes on, and Hyunjin learned to go with it, not run away from it.

“Listen, I’ve thought things through. I’m going to do some studying, and you can just…do you, so…” Heejin gulps, already regretting the words she’s yet to speak, “We can adopt a cat if you still want one.”

Hyunjin thinks she just fell deeper and deeper in love with Heejin.

How much more perfect can she get?

“I love you, Kim Hyunjin.” She leans in and kisses her sweetly on the lips.

Hyunjin shivers.

Apparently even more perfect.

Jeon Heejin is just too much.

Seriously.

Fuck her.


End file.
